It was quater-finals day in Shanghai and here is what happened, as reported by WST
Wilson And Zhao Set Up Blockbuster Clash
World number two Kyren Wilson and World Champion Zhao Xintong prevailed over legendary opposition, defeating Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui respectively, to set up a meeting between the two most recent Crucible kings at the Shanghai Masters.
2024 World Champion Wilson blitzed clear from 3-3 to score a 6-3 win over seven-time Crucible king O’Sullivan, his third consecutive win over the Rocket.
The Warrior is gunning for a second Shanghai Masters crown, after he won the first of his ten career ranking titles to date here back in 2015. The event has since transformed into one of the sport’s most prestigious invitational tournaments.
O’Sullivan took the opener this evening before a dramatic second frame. A break of 56 saw O’Sullivan force a respot, only for Wilson to come out on top and restore parity at 1-1. O’Sullivan then came from needing a snooker to win the third, with the help of a free ball, before being pegged back to 2-2 at the mid-session.
When play resumed, the next two frames were traded. However, Wilson then pulled away with breaks of 91, 83 and 109 to secure a momentous 6-3 win.
Wilson said: “It feels like this is the showpiece Chinese event nowadays. It is like the Masters in London and when you are going out to a packed out audience it inspires you. I felt it was box office on both tables. You have the two highest ranked and most popular Chinese players on one table and the greatest of all time against an in form player on the other. The crowd definitely had value for money tonight.
“This event changed my life ten years ago. I didn’t know where I was going and down in the 50s and 60s in the rankings. I basically didn’t have a pot to pee in. My son Finlay came along and was six months old. I came here with no expectations and won the event. I’m really proud that since then I’ve stayed in the top 16. I’ve managed to kick on since that moment.
“I’m looking forward to playing Zhao. There has definitely been a boom in China with the excitement and expectation which is now on his shoulders. I’m sure he will handle being World Champion very well. That was something I really enjoyed last year. I’m looking forward to playing in front of a packed out crowd.”
Zhao triumped 6-1 against compatriot and Chinese trailblazer Ding Junhui to set up his meeting with Wilson.
The 28-year-old is making his first appearance on tour since winning the World Championship in May and alongside Ding he received a rapturous reception when he stepped out into the arena this evening.
This was only the sixth ever meeting betwen the pair and Zhao’s emphatic victory was only his second win against Ding, taking the heat to head to 4-2.
Century breaks of 134, 132 and 118 helped him to the stunning win this evening, which took just under an hour and a half. Zhao averaged a swashbuckling 17 seconds a shot.
The Jester from Leicester top scored with 137 in this evening’s win. He now faces the tenacious Ali Carter over the best of 19 frames tomorrow for a place in the final.
Although there aren’t ranking points on offer this week, world number seven Selby admitted he is targetting a return to the top spot, but isn’t underestimating the scale of the challenge.
Selby said: “You have to have goals or it is pointless. I want to win a few more Triple Crowns and get back to world number one. Judd looks like he is going to be there a long time. Rightly so because he has won numerous tournaments in the last few seasons.“
Carter came through his quarter-final in a deciding frame against Wuhan Open Champion Xiao Guodong, winning 6-5.
It was yet another incredible turnaround for the captain, who for the second match in a row came back from 5-2 down.
Carter: “I’m a resilient player. I’m delighted to be in the semi-finals. To have come from 5-2 behind twice now is great and I’ll have to extend my stay a bit longer. This is a great tournament and I can’t wait for the semi-finals.“
Here are the scores for Ronnie’s match against Kyren Wilson:
And some images…
Am I disappointed? Yes, of course, I am. Actually it’s not so much about disappointment, it’s about not being quite ready for what happens to someone, a friend, who I admire, and yet it is something that happens to all of us sooner or later … something called natural decline. No living being is immune to it. I’m 70, I should know.
I DO know, only too well, but it doesn’t mean it is something easy to actually accept. It isn’t.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to take anything off Kyren’s performance. He was the better player today. He IS a great player, and a really good person, a family man, who I had the privilege to meet on several occasions. I’m very pleased for him and his family. I wish him the best. I hope he wins this tournament now. Some fans, when their hero is beaten, hate the victorious opponent and want them to fail. I’m not like that. I, by far, prefer to think/know that my favourite has lost to the best man in the field rather than to a “stopper”, a “one day wonder” 1 , someone who did nothing afterwards …
- something Kyren clearly isn’t, of course! ↩︎
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
I’m honestly not sure if it’s the decline because of age yet, Monique. It is lack of focus. It is imore about the cue ball control I think, than the break building and accuracy.
Ronnie never was the player with the best attention span. That said, sustaining attention and focus for a long time also becomes harder when one ages. At the level those guys play, even a small “dip” makes a significative difference. And there is another factor. In China, conditions are often rather “heavy”. That doesn’t particularly suit the “touch players” like Ronnie or Ding.
I agree with you, Monique. It is impossible when you are older to perform to the standard you performed in your prime. That said, I still believe that Ronnie is capable of competing with the best and what more can you expect from a person who is turning 50 this year. And most importantly, Ronnie seems to be happy and content within himself. He just posted: “Congratulations to Kyren, the better man won today. Good luck for the rest of the tournament mate. Thank you to everyone out here for all the support. It’s always an honour to come here and play to these brilliant fans.”
By the way, the other day he posted this: “The break is coming. No cameras. No edits. Just me talking straight. Snooker, rivalries, regrets, life, mindset. Nothing off limits. But first I want to hear from you. 💬 Drop your questions for me in the comments. I’ll answer the best ones directly, next week. Oh and don’t forget to sign up for free. It’ll drop in your inbox fortnightly. ” Do you know what this is about? Best wishes from Germany, thank you for all your effort, and enjoy the new snooker season.
Thank you for this Ben 😊
I’m not sure about that. It’s not just “dips”. He doesn’t seem to fancy clearing the table at the moment. He is just relying on his opponents mistakes.
No it’s not just “dips” in attention, although those dips are real and part of the issue. But there is also “natural” physical decline … eyes that are no more as sharp as they were, both at distance and close-up, “eye focus” time getting longer which disrupt the natural rhythm (this is something Hendry experienced and spoke about), the body losing flexibility sometimes forcing the player to change their stance, resilience to fatigue getting lower. All those things happen to most of us, but that don’t usually impact our jobs the way they do in sports.